The exact mechanism by which radiation therapy confers benefit in the Alzheimer's disease mouse model will be difficult to elucidate as the exact pathobiology of Alzheimer's disease is not known. Possible mechanisms include the following: reduction of β amyloid by reducing production or increasing clearance; reduction in Tau; induction of beneficial inflammatory mechanisms; induction or inhibition of heat shock proteins; altering cerebral microvasculature; and/or reversal of maladaptive neuroplasticity in the hippocampus. Investigations of these possible mechanisms are currently underway.